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CONSTITUENCY UPDATE 15 JANUARY 2020
Dear Nortonians
Welcome to another edition of the Constituency Update as we kick-start the beginning of a new year and the start of another new era.
New beginnings always inspire a resuscitation of spirits and an increased drive to reach set targets. We have already begun this new-year with the correct impetus as some significant events have already happened or begun to happen. This early we have already seen the visitation of the First Lady, the coming in of some potential investors and the imminent opening of a big mining company.
The same unity that we saw recently during the visitation of a Ukrainian delegation should continue in our town since politics can only take us so far.
FIRST LADY’S VISIT
THE First Lady visited Norton as part of her Angel of Hope initiatives and she handed over hampers to some senior community elders besides also undertaking some household chores.
The objective of the event was to encourage the spirit of love within communities through such acts as supporting the vulnerable. This move should be applauded considering the current polarity bedeviling the country leading to limited progress in almost all spheres as people cannot bring themselves to work together for a common good.
My office shall also be handing out basic food hampers so as to complement this great initiative by the First Lady.
MARIDALE WATER ISSUE
Recently i held a constituency meeting with Maridale residents where we focused on various issues affecting them and also as part of my regular feedback engagements.
Prominent among the issues raised is the contentious matter of borehole water that is allegedly rationed according to individual payments for supposed power to run the borehole.
As I have always stressed water cannot be denied from people as it is a right and any initiative that is structured in such a way as to disenfranchise others from accessing the water becomes unwelcome nothwistanding the logic of the setup.
There is need to reach an understanding and agreement with residents so that everyone is able to access this water. Measures can be taken, with support from Norton Town Council (NTC) to enable the facility to run in a sustainable way that allows everyone to get water.
CDF FUNDS
The Constituency Development Funds (CDF) have been released and we held a meeting at Dudley Hall Primary School this past week. Besides members of the constituency also in attendance were some Councilors that include, Councilor Mafusire, Councilor Matiza, Councilor, Shoko and Councilor Dube.
The main challenge with the CDF funds, as we discussed, is that the fund has already been decimated by inflation and it’s a headache to really come-up with any significant project towards which it can be channelled to make much of a difference.
Thus as we think around the best way to deal with this scenario I will continue working along the usual system of utilizing my own financial channels to support the constituency.
FOOD SUPPORT
We have received a 15 tonne rice donation which is supposed to be donated to the vulnerable members of the Norton community. This program comes in the wake of the debilitating drought from last year and the current food shortages seemingly worsened by this season’s own current rain problems.
I have since put in place measures whereby the rice will be donated in the different Wards through the agency of the local Councilors. To make the program easier and more transparent we shall have the rice packed into 2kg packets.
All these measures are already underway and we can get status feedback from our Ward Councilors.
PASSING AWAY OF CDE NYASHA SIMON SIBIYA
Recently we lost Cde Simon Sibiya and he was buried in Ward 15.
Cde Sibiya was one of the pre-eminent heroes of the Norton struggle against land barons and his legacy in Kingsdale speaks of a man who did much for the empowerment of the ordinary person against the thieving scourge of politically connected land barons.
His legacy leaves us with the obligation to remain steadfast and resolute as we seek to bring closure to such sagas as the Kingsdale and Mashlands stands issues.
May His Soul Rest in Peace.
UKRAINIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION
Norton continues to prove how it is an attractive business opportunity for many investors and this week I came with an Ukrainian team which included the First Secretary and Ambassador for Ukraine in South Africa and other African countries, Mr Andrii Sobchak and Mrs Sharpe.
The tour that we had saw us visiting Norton Hospital, where we saw the abject state of the facility, and Katanga Shopping Centre. The objective of all these diplomatic moves is to draw attention to the town and exhibit the potential that we have.
NORTON MINERS MEETING
In the wake of the violent outbreaks as perpetrated by some illegal miners, commonly referred to as Mashurugwi, its gladdening to see that as a town our mining sector is making significant strides coming up with safety measures.
Currently they have come up with an identification system that makes it easy for the police to recognise the illegal from the genuine miners.
We still hope that the security forces will come down hard upon these criminals and avert a potential civil crisis in the country. It’s a known fact that some prominent political personnel are involved and we thus call for increased seriousness and transparency in dealing with all these aspects of the problem.
We remain a country caught in the harsh climate of a bad economy and with so many pressing matters but as we start the New Year let us strive to make the most of that within our control. Working together and being transparent in our conduct will alleviate a lot of the challenges and make Norton a better place for everyone.
Regards,
Hon. Temba P. Mliswa (MP)
Norton will never be the same again
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